Bottle-vending machine.



W. H. HERMAN. BOTTLE VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 5111 1. a 1911.

1,01 3,01 5 Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

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W. H.'HERMAN.

BOTTLE VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2, 1911.

1,01 3,01 5. Patented Dec.26,1911.

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Swueutoz WHHermaw,

WILLIE H. HERMAN, 0F WESSON, MISSISSIPPI.

norrLn-vnnnme MACHINE.

Original application filed July 22, 1911, Serial No. 639,981. Dividedand this 1911. Serial No. 647,363.

Specification of Letters Patent.

application filed September 2.

To all whom t'tmay concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIE H. HERMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Wesson, in the county of Copiahand State of Mississippi,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle Vend-- ingMachines, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to new and'useful improvements in vending machinesand more particularly the same being a division ,ofmy ending applicationSerial No. 639,981, filed July 22, 1911, and my object is to provide adevice of this character wherein an endless carrier has removablymounted thereon, a plurality of bottles which are adapted to bebroughtinto position to be removed one by one.

A further .object. of the invention resides in providing means wherebythe contents of thebottles mounted on the endless carrier may be keptcool.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of meanswhereby said car'-' rier may be readily rotated, and a still furtherobject resides in providing improved means for removably securing thebottles to the carrier.

Still another object of the invention resides in the provision of meansfor .retaining the bottles on the carrier, which means iscapable ofadjustment. to accommodate I various sized bottles. i

A still further object of the invention resides in providing a devicewhich is comparatively simple in construction, thereby inexpensive tomanufacture, one which 'is durable in construction, and very effectiveand useful in operation.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the novelfeatures of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as willbe hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in thespecification and claims.

In the accompanymg'drawings forming apart of this application, Figure- 1is a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectiontherethrough as seen on line 2 -2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectionthrough one of the means for removably securing the bottleto thecarrier. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section therethrough as seen on to abottle vending machine,

panes 7 may be; provided line-4-4, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detailperspective view of the slidable section of the bottle-holding means.

In carrying out refer to the drawings in which'similar referencevcharacters designate corresponding parts throughout the several viewsand in which- 1 indicates a housing of anydesired size and shape, thesame belng preferably square in horizontal section, the inner walls ofsaid housing being lined with porcelain or any other desired to bewater-tight, and thus, said housing may form an ice chest or the-like.One

wall of said housing is provided with a Patented Dec. 26, 1911. i

my invention, I shall material 2 to cause the same I hinged door" 3,whereby entrance maybe had'to the housing, and extending upwardly fromthe corners of said housing, are the uprights 4:v which form aframe-work for the upper casing 5. This upper casing has the. wallsthereof formed of transparent 6, which are mounted between .said

uprights 4;, and one of the'walls of this last referred to casing isprovided with a hinged door 7 ,whereby entrance may be gained to saidcasing, and if desired, both doors 3 and ing means (not shown) to lockthe same their closed positions.

Mounted in the floor of the housing 1,-is a pair of supporting. blocksor the like8, between which which carries thereon, a sprocket wheel 10,and rotatably carried between the frame of the upper casing!) adjacentthe top thereof,

is an additional shaft 11, upon which is mounted to rotate therewith, anadditional sprocket 12. Extending over the sprockets in the casing andthe housing and, through openings 14 in the bottom of said casing, orwhat may be termed the top of said. housing, .is an endless carrier 15,said carrier comprising an endless chain .16, the links of which are'adated the sprocket an a plurality of blocks or plates 17 carried on theouter faces of the links of said chain.

Each late or block 17, except one, is provided with a pair of hollowrectangular telescoping sections 18 and 19, respectively, the

section 18 being provided on its rear face with the integral andlaterally extend' ears 20, whereby the same may be secure is rotatablymounted a shaft 9 with any. desired securto engage the teeth of loo suchas abottle, which is adapted to beheld 'therebetween, and the front faceof the section 18 is provided with a spring clamping member 23 adaptedto receive therein, a bottle or the like 24. This bottle is adapted torest on the lower flange or bottom 21, while the spring clamping member23 is adapted to encircle the same to retain it in position, and as theupper section 19 is telescoped 1 within the lower section 18, the samemay be adjusted to accommodate various sized bottles, so that the topflange 22 may be always allowed to engage the top or neck of, thebottle. It is extremely essential that some means be provided, such asthese flanges 21 and 22, to allow the bottles to rest on some firinmeansand to protect the same, as the bottles on the carrier are drawn throughcrushed ice which is carried in the housing 1 to-cool the contents ofsaid bottles, and which would doubtless tend to release the bottles fromtheir securing means should no such protection be provided.

As stated, the upper section 19 is adjustably mounted within thelowersection 18 so as'to compensate for various sized bottles and inorder to retain the section 19 in any adjusted position, so that theflange 22 thereof will engage the upper periphery of the neck of thebottle, the inner face of the outer wall of the section 18 is providedwith a rack or the like 25, and the outer face of the front wall of thesection 19 is provided with a leaf spring 26, one end of which issecured therto, while the free end is disposed outwardly somewhat toform an engaging pawl or the like. The extreme free end of said springmember 26 is bent around, as shown at 27, so that the same may readilypass over the notches or teeth of the rack, and it will be seen thatwhen the section 19 is positioned 'within the section 18, the free endof this spring 26 is adapted to engage said rack to retain said section19 in any adjusted position. The engagement, however, of the spring 26with the rack 25 is merely sufficient to prevent the casual moveinent ofthe section 19 with respect to the section 18 during the operation ofthe device, but the said sections may be readily separated-by manualoperation.

In order to allow the bottles to be readily removed from the clampingmembers and holding means on the endless carrier, an opening 28sufiiciently large to admit of the entrance of the hand therein, isprovided ing and the on the front wall or face of the casing 5, and

in order to rotate the endless carrier so that said bottles may bebrought into position adjacent the opening 28 to be removed, a shaft 29is provided which extends transversely through the walls of the machinejust above the floor of the casing 5. One end of thisvshaft extendsbeyond one side of the machine and is provided with a crank or'handlemember 30, whereby said shaft may be readily turned, and said shaft hasmounted thereon within the casing 5, a pulley backward movement, of theshaft 29, thesame is provided with a pinion or the like 34 with which isengaged the effective end of a pawl 35 pivotallyccarried on one wall ofthecasing 5 This pawl is heldby means of a spring 36 so that the same isnormally- 1n engagement with said pinon, and'under these conditions, itwill be appreciated that the shaft 29 can be rotated in but onedirection, so that those tampering with the machine with maliciousintent, will not find theirattempt successful. may also be used inconnection with some form of check-controlled apparatus, but as thisdoes not form any part of my invention, I do not desire to describe orillustrate the same.

In practice,

bottles filled. with any liquid This pinion 34 which is desired to be'vended, are first. ap- 3 plled to all but one of the plates on theendless carrier and ice placed in the housing or chest 1, whereupon thecarrier is then rotated so that the empty plate will be disposedopposite the opening in the front wall of the device. The doors of thedevice are then locked so that ,no one may enter with malicious intent,and if some check-con trolled mechanism has been applied to the device,it will be seen that in this position, it will be impossible for anyoneto obtain a bottle from the machine until such checkcontrolledmechanism-has been properly operated. WVhen'no check-controlledapparatus has beenapplied, however, such as in this instance, it willonly be necessary for the operator to turnv the crank or handle 30 inone direction which will turn the car- 'rier 15 so as to dispose abottle in'position adjacent the opening28. The hand may then be readilyentered through said openbottle grasped and removed from its engagementwith the spring clamp. A bottle opener or the like vided on the frontwall of the device, whereby the purchaser of. the bottle may readilyremove the cap or closure therefromto drink 37 is also pro- 7 thecontents of the bottle, if desired, and when the bottle has beenemptied, the same is again positioned in the spring clamping member. Theplacing of the ice in the housing in the lower portion of the device andthe disposing of the carrier therethrough so that the bottles carriedthereby may pass through this housing before being obtained by thepurchaser, makes it possible for the contents of the bottles to alwaysbe cold when purchased, and after one bottle has been emptied, thehandle member may be turned to dispose another bottle in positionadjacent the opening, and so on until all the bottles have been emptied.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided a bottlevending machine with improved means for delivering the contents thereof.It will further be seen that the delivering mechanism comprises anendless carrier, upon which are removably engaged bottles of liquidcontent which may be removed one by one. Furthermore, it will be seenthat I have provided means on the endless carrier for removably securingbottles thereto, which means is capable of adjustment to accommodatebottles of various sizes.

this device is extremely simple in construction, containingcomparatively few parts, whereby the samemay be readily and cheaplymanufactured, one which is durable in construction, and, very effectiveand useful in operation.

What I claim is 1. In a vending machine of the class described, thecombination with a housing and a casing formed thereabove, said casingbeing provided with an opening in one face thereof; of an endlesscarrier mounted within said casing and housing, means to removably carrya plurality ofbottles on said carrier, said means being capable ofadjustment to accommodate bottles of various sizes, and means to rotatesaid carriers, whereby the It will still further be seen that position,spring clamping members in bottles thereon will be disposed in positionadjacent the opening in said casing.

2. In a vending machine of the class described, the combination with ahousing and a casing formed thereabove, said casing being provided withan opening in one face thereof; of an endless carrier mounted withinsaid casing and housing, members mounted on the carrier adapted toreceive bottles in engagement therewith, additional adjusting means toaccommodate bottles of various sizes, and means to rotate said carrier.

3. In a vending machine of the class described, thecombination with ahousing and a casing formed thereabove, said casing having an openingprovided in one wall thereof; of an endless carrier mounted in saidcasing and housing, a plurality of plates carried on said carrier, apair of telescoping sections carried on each plate,'each section beingprovided with a laterally extending flange, spring clamping memberscarried on one of the sections adapted to receive bottles in engagementtherewith, and means to rotate said carrier. j

4. In a vendin machine of the class described, the comblnation with ahousing and a casing formed thereabove, said casing being provided withan opening in one face thereof; of an endless carrier mounted withingsaid casing and housing, a plurality of plates carried on said carrier,a pair of telescoping members carried on each plate adapted to receive abottletherebetween, means to retain said sections in any adjusteuconnection with said telescoping sections, and means to rotate saidcarrier.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

- WILLIE H. HERMAN.

Witnesses:

R. W. CARTEg, W. H. FOSTER.

spring clamping

